Booker T Talks CM Punk Joining WWE Backstage, Fans Wanting To See Punk Wrestle Again
It was a wild scene on Tuesday night when CM Punk returned to WWE programming. Appearing on the last segment of WWE Backstage, Punk's status was made clear as a member of the FOX show. Everyone was shocked, from the fans to the wrestlers themselves.
It was noted that only Renee Young knew about the appearance, as it was all kept a big secret from everyone else. On The Hall of Fame Podcast, Booker T discussed the moment, stating he was just as surprised as everyone else was.
"I don't know what happened, man. I didn't see CM Punk all day, I didn't know he was in the building," Booker stated. "We come to the last two minutes of the show, I know we are about ready to go off. All of a sudden we got this surprise, we are going to do something new. I didn't know what "new" was because nobody told me. Then the music played and I was just genuinely surprised that it was CM Punk. If I saw CM Punk on the street I thought there might have been some fireworks or something like that. He came in, everything cooled off and I said, 'he's at the job.'"
Punk recently turned down a "big money" deal from AEW. That doesn't mean he is joining a WWE ring anytime soon, however. Booker did state that while the man with a mic is a big deal, having Punk in the ring would be something else.
"The fans want to see CM Punk. They want to see him do his thing and be back in the business," Booker went on to say. "He's been away from the business for six long years. To see him back, in that format, is one thing. I'm sure the people want to see CM Punk put on his boots, lace them up and get back inside the ring. For Punk to go back with Samoa Joe on and Cole, it was almost like a reunion."
While going out to dinner after the show, Booker and Punk talked about today's MMA and pro wrestling scene. Booker noted is also trying to get Punk on his show. In an interview with Barstool Sports last month, Punk stated working with FOX over WWE is why he wanted the gig, and that he wouldn't toe the company line if he didn't like a story. Booker was interested to see what would happen with an honest CM Punk in 2019.
"I do not know what's going to happen. CM Punk, he's a wild card," Booker stated. "We don't know what he is going to say, he goes right off the cuff. He could perhaps want to have a pipebomb moment, we might have to restrain him, lock him up and take him off the show."